The papers published herein comprise the presentations given at the eighteenth of an annual series of clinical symposia arranged under the auspices of the Eastern Pennsylvania Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. This symposium allowed approximately 200 persons to gather and exchange ideas on the rapid laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases. The institution of the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) method for reimbursement by both government agencies and private insurance carriers has provided a financial aspect to the established clinical reasons for rapid laboratory diagnosis. Now the health of the institution, as well as the patient, is dependent on a timely diagnosis and, hopefully, cure. Accordingly, the goal of this symposium was to present the latest developments in "same-day microbiology". In the face of stable or diminishing resources, the laboratory director is presented with many choices. Do nucleic acid probes, non­ instrumental ELISA techniques, or time-resolved fluorometry have a place in his or her laboratory? Should the laboratory test for newly described human pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus or human papilloma virus? Can rapid techniques supplant conventional methods? Or are they merely adjunctive? This symposium attempted to assist in the formulation of informed decisions. Bruce Kleger Donald Jungkind Eileen Rinks Linda A. Miller vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the Eastern Pennsylvania Branch of t~e American Society for Microbiology for sponsoring this symposium and for making this publication possible. We especially thank the Symposium Committee for their diligent work in organizing an informative and successful symposium.

Springer Book Archives

"Where We've Been and Where We May Be Going".- The Use of DNA Probes to Detect and Identify Microorganisms.- The Influence of Rapid Diagnosis of Streptococcal Infection on Pharyngitis and Rheumatic Fever.- The Use of DNA Probes for Rapidly Identifying Cultures of Mycobacterium.- Use of DNA Probes for the Diagnosis of Infections Caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionellae.- Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of the DuPont HerpchekTM HSV ELISA, a New Rapid Diagnostic Test for the Direct Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus.- Non-Culture Tests for the Diagnosis of Gonorrhea.- Nucleic Acid Hybridization as a Diagnostic Tool for the Detection of Human Papillomaviruses.- The Rapid Detection of Clinically Significant Bacteria.- Rapid Diagnosis of Viral Infections.- Time-Resolved Fluorometry: Principles and Application to Clinical Microbiology and DNA Probe Technology.- The Clinical Impact of Automated Susceptibility Reporting Using a Computer Interface.